Pentagon F-35 review unlikely to affect Vermont

A Trump administration review of the F-35 fighter-jet program is expected to have no effect on the Vermont National Guard, which is set to receive 18 of the aircraft in two years.
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A review ordered by the Trump administration of the F-35 fighter jet program is expected to have no effect on the Vermont National Guard, which remains on track to receive 18 of the aircraft in two years.

Vermont's congressional delegation and governor agreed cost-cutting measures could prove beneficial for the Pentagon's costliest weapons procurement program. But the political leaders added that new planes remain vital to the 158th Fighter Wing's mission.

"The Pentagon has a long record of purchasing weapons systems from defense contractors with massive cost overruns that have wasted hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars. The F-35 is a clear example of that practice, and that corporate welfare must end," independent Sen. Bernie Sanders said in response to questions from the Burlington Free Press.

Lockheed Martin manufactures the F-35s.

"However," Sanders continued, "the fact remains that the Air Force will soon retire the F-16s based in Burlington, and the F-35 is the plane the Air Force has decided will replace it."

In late January, new Defense Secretary Jim Mattis sent a memo to his deputy secretary ordering an examination of how to save money on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. At an estimated $400 billion, the deployment of the fighter jets represents the most costly weapons-buying effort in military history.

An F-35A Lightning II and an FA-18 Super Hornet fly in formation over Volk Field, Wis., in August 2016. (Photo: Senior Airman Stormy Archer/U.S. Air Force)

Mattis also directed a study of whether another jet, the F/A-18 Super Hornet, could be modified to provide a "competitive, cost effective, fighter aircraft alternative," according to a copy of the three-paragraph memo. Mattis asked for the review to begin immediately, "with the results and recommendations made available to inform upcoming budget decisions."

Lockheed Martin announced Friday a deal with the Defense Department to provide 90 new F-35s for about $8.9 billion — a price $728 million less than the previous contract. Lockheed says 55 of the planes are destined for U.S. service branches, and the rest for international partners.

The military formally decided in 2013 to base a squadron of F-35s at the Vermont Air National Guard facility at the airport in South Burlington, where the planes would replace 18 aging F-16s. The decision, in the works for several years before the announcement, proved controversial, with opposition groups objecting to the potential for increased aircraft noise, crashes over populated areas, the effect on home values and other concerns.

Supporters — including the Guard, state political leaders and the congressional delegation — have countered that F-35s are needed to keep thousands of jobs connected to the Air Guard operation.

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An F-16 from the Vermont Air Guard does a low-level pass in 2004 over Burlington International Airport in South Burlington.(Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS FILE)

The F-35s intended for Vermont already have been built, said Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and the decision to base them here is "a big tribute to the reputation of the Vermont Guard."

"It's a boost for the Guard, and it's a boost for the local airport," Welch said in a recent interview with the Burlington Free Press. "An air force needs planes, and old planes get replaced with new planes."

The office of Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., says any changes to the F-35 program resulting from the Defense Department review "would not affect the aircraft destined for Vermont."

"Top military leaders have repeatedly testified that the stealth and combat integration capabilities of the F-35 that are being designed are needed," Leahy spokesman David Carle wrote in an email to the Free Press.

He added that Leahy, who was instrumental in the military's decision to assign F-35s to the Green Mountain Boys, "looks forward to the day when Vermont can provide those capabilities to the Air Force and the nation’s defense."

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Maj. Gen. Steven Cray, adjutant general of the Vermont National Guard, right, listens as Sen. Patrick Leahy speaks after Cray announced on Dec. 3, 2013, that the U.S. Air Force has decided to base the F-35 fighter jet at the Burlington Air National Guard base in South Burlington.(Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS, GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS FILE)

The Guard declined to answer questions about the Pentagon review, citing a policy to avoid comment on national policies.

"The men and women of the Vermont Air National Guard continue their hard work on their current F-16 mission and are continuing to prepare for the future mission and the arrival of the F-35 in the fall of 2019," Guard spokeswoman Capt. Dyana Allen wrote in an email.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who took office in January, remains steadfast in his support of bringing the new military aircraft to Vermont.

"As long as the F-35 program continues, the governor does not take issue with a review of the program, as he feels it is never a bad idea to evaluate potential cost savings," Scott's spokeswoman, Rebecca Kelley, wrote in an email.

She added that Scott "thinks it’s important that the plan to receive F-35s here proceeds, and we retain the base here in Vermont. He believes the value in the program will be clear upon Sec. Mattis’ review, and is optimistic about the program’s future."

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According to a Pentagon spokesman, the review will serve as a prudent step for informing the secretary before he gives recommendations to the president.
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Leahy, vice chairman of the Senate's influential Appropriations Committee, said the value of the Vermont Air Guard as an operational reserve for the active-duty military has never been clearer. About 300 airmen and a squadron of F-16s were deployed late last year to the Middle East with less than 30 days' notice.

"The whole reason that units like Vermont’s need to be kept up to date with the rest of the Air Force is so when something unforeseen comes up, as happened in December, the United States has a top-shelf answer without resorting to the tremendous cost of full-time units," Leahy said.

Lt. Col. Brad Bashore, the 58th Fighter Squadron commander, prepares to take off in an F-35A Lightning II during an exercise at Volk Field, Wis., in August 2016. (Photo: Senior Airman Stormy Archer/U.S. Air Force)

The Vermont airmen have been involved in the fight to drive the Islamic State group from Mosul, Iraq, with pilots providing air support for Iraqi ground forces in the country's second-largest city. The deployment is expected to last for about another month.

Contributing: USA TODAY. Contact Adam Silverman at 802-660-1854 or asilverman@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @wej12.